Gigantes Plaki
Large Greek white beans, slow-baked in a rich tomato sauce with onion, carrot, celery and herbs.
Ingredients
- dried gigantes white beans500 g
- water2200 ml
- onion2 pcs
- carrot1 pcs
- celery1 stalk
- garlic3 cloves
- canned tomatoes, chopped800 g
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- olive oil100 ml
- fresh parsley20 g
- salt1 to taste
- black pepper (ground)1 to taste
Instructions
24 hours before cooking, rinse 500 g dried gigantes beans and soak them in plenty of water.
Drain, transfer the beans to a pot, cover with 2000 ml fresh water, bring to a boil and cook for 60–75 minutes, changing the water 1–2 times, until the beans are almost tender. Reserve 200 ml of the cooking liquid.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a deep skillet, heat 60 ml olive oil, add the chopped onion and sauté for 6–7 minutes until translucent.
Add the diced carrot, chopped celery stalk and garlic, and cook for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the canned tomatoes, 200 ml of the reserved bean liquid, black pepper and half of the salt; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the chopped parsley, transfer the cooked beans to a baking dish and pour the tomato sauce over them. Drizzle with the remaining 40 ml olive oil.
Cover the dish and bake for 60 minutes at 180°C, then remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the top turns lightly golden; if the dish looks too dry, add a little water.
10 minutes before the end, season with the remaining salt, remove the dish from the oven and let the gigantes plaki rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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